Many of us experience symptoms related to air pollution such as watery eyes, coughing and wheezing. For even the healthiest of people, polluted air can cause respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. According to The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), elevated levels and/or long term exposure to air pollution can lead to serious symptoms and conditions affecting human health. Exposure not only affects the respiratory and inflammatory systems affected, but it can lead to more serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer. It’s no wonder that the sales of portable canned Oxygen are on the rise in major cities around the globe where air pollution levels are spiking.

A recent report by The Royal College of Physicians suggests that air pollution causes around 40, 000 -50, 000 deaths a year, prompting a cross-party committee of MPs to declare UK air pollution a ‘public health emergency. The report estimates that the adverse impact on public health caused by pollution costs the UK economy more than £20bn per year, which is just under 16% of the current annual NHS budget of around £116bn. Air pollution is not a new problem in the UK, however where previously the focus was on pollution from solid fuel burning, such as coal, the concern is now about exposure to pollutants from transport sources, especially cars. Vehicle exhausts are a major cause of air pollution and The Guardian recently revealed that 97% of all modern diesel cars emit more toxic NOx pollution than the official limit when driven on the road. Facing a long commute due to unexpected delays can be stressful but now a study led by the University of Surrey shows that drivers are also exposed to “dangerously high” levels of air pollution when stationary with the engine running at red lights or in traffic jams.

When indoors many of us take for granted that the air we breathe is clean but according to The Royal College of Physicians this unfortunately is not the case as it highlights risks from badly maintained gas appliances, radioactive radon gas and second-hand tobacco smoke and exposure to NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] from gas cooking and solvents that slowly seep from plastics, paints and furnishings. The lemon-and-pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants, and ozone-based air fresheners can also cause indoor air pollution.

In light of this we need to ask ourselves what steps we can take towards positive change. Here at Boost Oxygen we’re always looking at ways of reducing our carbon footprint. For instance, encouraging car-pooling and cycling when commuting to and from work and of course with a can of Boost ready to go to help manage stress levels and lessen our exposure to exhaust fumes. At the office we use all natural, eco friendly cleaning products, shop locally and keep windows open as often as possible to allow fresh air in and keep toxins flowing out. Our product is made with natural organic ingredients and recyclable packaging and we’re excited to say that this year we’re working towards building a European Oxygen filling plant which will further reduce our carbon footprint. We can’t change the world overnight but we can take responsibility and look to our immediate environment to see what positive changes we can make. Here at Boost Oxygen we will continue to do so.